A couple of years back, Scott and I did a five-part series on Openings. If you want to read (or re-read) those, the OPENINGS category on the left side of the blog page will let you find them quickly. That category also includes a couple of other articles related to openings, which in my opinion, one can never write too much about.

After all, your opening–along with your title and book cover–is arguably the most important factor in grabbing a reader and making a sale. Of course, what follows that opening must include good, error-free writing that will determine whether your reader continues reading to the end.

The answers to the questions below will depend on the length of your opening paragraphs, whether the story is in first or third person, and the story line itself. I’ll discuss exceptions in a moment, but look over these questions.